Heartshipping
by SY-chwan
Summary: Fic exchange requirements - 'sometimes during the series, must involve snow.' Heartshipping, Yugi/Ryou.


Summary: Fic exchange requirements - 'sometimes during the series, must involve snow.'

Enjoy!

**Heartshipping**

There was a strange relationship between them. What with their darker halves being immortal enemies it wasn't like he could just go up to Ryou and ask him out on a date or anything. And it wasn't like he had to worry about Ryou's response. If that kiss after battle city was anything to go by, their attraction to each other was perfectly mutual.

Not that he'd actually told anyone about this. He wasn't sure how Joey would react if he suddenly found out his best friend had started liking guys. _Well…__**one**__ guy to be exact._

/-Yugi, I don't mean to interrupt you little monologue of doom but you've just walked right past your own house.-/

Yugi paused and looked up, finding that Yami was right and he had completely bypassed the shop, so lost in his own thoughts. Turning around and berating himself for having to spend extra time in the cold, Yugi entered the house.

"Grandpa! I'm home!" he yelled as he toed his shoes off and stepped into his slippers. His grandfather didn't reply which probably meant he had a customer with him. Yugi shrugged, business had been unusually good lately, not that he was complaining. If his grandfather was getting more money, it meant that there was a better chance for him to be given that holographic duelling mat he had so wanted.

Deciding that he should probably get started on his homework, Joey and Tristan wanted to show him a new game at the arcade later, Yugi trudged up the stairs only to find himself running down it three seconds later to answer the shrill ringing phone.

"Moshi moshi."

Silence. Yugi frowned, a prank caller perhaps?

"Hello?" he tried again, still no answer. "…Anyone there?"

_Slam_. The line cut off and a deadpanned tone sounded through the ear-pierce.

Yugi blinked in confusion before checking the caller memory to see who it was. The phone gave him a number he didn't recognised. Then again, he's never been that good at remembering phone numbers, so it could easily have been one of his friends calling about forgotten homework and whatnot. It probably wasn't important.

/-Perhaps it was Ryou-/ an amused voice sounded through the mind link.

/Oh don't tease, other me./

Really, why on earth would Ryou be calling? It wasn't to ask him out for dinner, that's for sure.

/-Yugi, I really won't mind if you ask Ryou out on a date.-/ Yami's gentle voice waved through his mind. /I promise I won't interfere./

Yugi smiled, grateful for the support. /Thanks, but it's not you that I'm worried about./

/-I could always pull the Tomb Robber into the Shadow Realm with me for a few hours.-/

/No. Last thing I want is for the two of you to start fighting over this. You two fight enough as it is. And that's not including life threatening situations./

A loud ringing broke of their internal conversation and Yugi nearly jumped out of his skin. Until he realised that it was just the phone ringing again.

"Moshi moshi."

"I need to talk to the pharaoh, pip-squeak, so _get_ him out!"

Yami took control before Yugi had even really registered who it was that was calling.

"What do _you_ want, Tomb Robber?" the distain in his other self's voice was clear as glass.

"Meet me in the park in twenty minutes," came the gruff reply. The line was then abruptly cut off.

/Eh?/

"What?" Yami stared at the phone in his hand, that dull tone was back but it took awhile for Yami to shake himself out of his stupor and put the phone back into its cradle.

/What does he want with you?/

/-I have no idea, aibou.-/

/Oh please don't go, you two are just going to start fighting again./

/-I'm a man of my word Yugi.-/

/You didn't even agree!/

/-Nevertheless, he is expecting me.-/

/…/

/-Besides, if worst comes to worst I'll just drag him into the Shadow Realm for a while so you and Ryou can talk.-/

/Yami!/

Unfortunately, Yami was not one to be deterred and at exactly 20 minutes after the phone call, Yugi found hiself standing in the middle of the park.

/He's not here, let's go home./ Yugi said, staring at the empty benches scattered around the dormant water fountain, not willing to look any further in fear of proving himself wrong.

He didn't have to worry, Yami proved him wrong for him. /-Don't be daft, aibou, he's standing right there.-/

'There' referred to the giant oak tree seated upon a small hill. Yugi wasn't looking forward to walking over there; the snow on the grass hadn't been cleared away, unlike the gravel paths, and he was wearing jeans today since it was so cold. The water's definitely going to soak through all the way down to his socks. He grimaced.

In his mind, he could feel Yami rolling his eyes. /-Let me take over, Yugi. It's me he wants to talk to after all.-/

/Okay!/ No complaints there. If Yami wants to wade through that deceptively pretty lake of whiteness, Yugi was not going to stop him.

"Took you long enough," Bakura growled the moment Yami reached hearing range.

Not in the mood for secrecy, Yami scowled back. "What do you want, tomb robber?"

Bakura gave a feral smirk and latched onto the puzzle. There was a flash of bright, golden light and the next thing Yugi knew, he was standing, slightly disorientated, by the tree in front of Ryou.

"Ryou! What, what happened?" Yami was not in his soulroom and so Yugi spun around in a circle to see if the pharaoh was outside in his transparent form. He wasn't. "Where's Yami? Where's your dark? What's going on!?"

There was a very guilty expression upon Ryou's face and for a moment Yugi's heart froze in fear for his darker half.

"He's dragged him into the Shadow Realm for a while so that we can talk," Ryou explained, his hands twisting together nervously. Yugi blinked…_that doesn't sound life-threatening for once._

"Talk? Talk about what?"

A pause; with Ryou starred at him timidly from behind his bangs. That lost and lonely look deep in his eyes nearly made Yugi's heart break in sympathy but he really didn't understand what on earth brought this on.

Eventually, Ryou sighed. "Oh, I knew this would be a bad idea. There was no way you'd agree to it."

_Eh? Agree to what?_

"What's going on?" he seemed to be saying that a lot lately.

"Nothing…" Ryou was avoiding his eyes again, "it's just…I just…" A sigh.

To say Yugi was confused was a severe understatement; but he could see that Ryou was hesitant in saying whatever it was that he wanted to say so he kept quiet.

A minute passed…then two…and then Yugi couldn't hold his patience anymore.

"Ry-"

"I think we should go out." Ryou interrupted rapidly, words spilling out of his mouth like a waterfall and crashing against Yugi's uncomprehending mind.

"W-what?!"

There was a blush as deep as the reddest of roses blooming across Ryou's cheeks but he carried on valiantly.

"I…I think…" he took a deep breath as if to calm himself. Really, he's already said it once, why was it so hard to repeat it? "I think we should go out," the words were said at a more normal pace this time, but Yugi could still feel his mind spinning.

"N-no." Yugi began, "I-I can't!" Didn't Ryou understand? They couldn't be together, their darker halves were immortal enemies for goodness's sake; they were like the star-crossed lovers only poorer.

"What?" It was Ryou's turn to be surprised. As nervous as he had been, he honestly did not expect Yugi to be so strongly against it. After all, if that kiss after battle city was anything to go by, their attraction was definitely mutual. "Why not?" he exclaimed.

"Why not?" Yugi was staring at him in complete disbelieve, "isn't it obvious?"

"No!" Ryou's voice was getting higher and higher; he couldn't help himself, how could Yugi just _turn him down_ like this!

"Well, our other selves aren't going to agree to this _are they_?"

Ryou felt himself blinking very rapidly. Sure, he had thought that Yugi probably had major doubts about his darker half accepting a relationship between the two of them but he had never thought the _pharaoh_ of all people to oppose it.

"Yami doesn't want you to be with me?" he asked.

Yugi was slightly taken aback, "Yami? No, I meant _your_ other half."

Ryou rose an eyebrow, "Isn't it obvious from by the way he dragged your other into the shadow realm?"

Yugi blinked…Bakura had dragged Yami into the shadow realm to give Ryou a chance to talk to him about this…which implies he is perfectly supportive…or at least them going out would be perfectly supportive to whatever evil plan he had schemed this time.

"Oh…"

For the first time that evening, Ryou smiled. "Oh…" he teased mockingly. "Oh indeed, Mr. King of games. You should be glad that this isn't a duel."

"Eh heh heh heh…" Yugi scratched the back off his head nervously. He changed the subject desperately, "So what now?"

A pause…then, timidly, "I want to give it a go."

"...Me too."

Neither looked at each other, bright red blushes creeping up onto both their faces. Yugi was the first to speak.

"Um…pick you up at seven then?" Yugi asked, eyes resolutely staring at the snow covered tree.

Ryou nodded, head bowed deep. "That'd be nice…"

"Okay."

"Okay…"

"…Or we could just go somewhere now…" Yugi suggested shyly, trying in vain to seem like he didn't really care either way.

"…I'd like that," Ryou blushed; Yugi grinned.

And they both headed out of park. Together.

_**-End**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

**Please review!!**


End file.
